American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association

Fuchs: Efficient Surface Transportation Board will foster rail competition, growth

DENVER — The chairman-designate of the Surface Transportation Board says he is transforming the regulatory agency into a more efficient body that will help support competition and growth for railroads.

“We want to break down barriers to growth, encourage competition and elevate the role of markets instead of government,” STB Chairman Patrick Fuchs told a rail industry conference Tuesday. “More broadly, I want the board to be more efficient and effective, to deliver for business, and the country.”

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fuchs-efficient-surface-transportation-board-will-foster-rail-competition-growth

Central Oregon & Pacific takes over UP operations in Eugene, Oregon, Saturday

Genesee & Wyoming short line Central Oregon & Pacific can take over local operations from Union Pacific in Eugene, Oregon, as soon as Saturday, federal regulators have ruled.

In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the Surface Transportation Board denied the SMART-TD union’s request to scrutinize and reject the lease deal. The decision also denied Central Oregon & Pacific’s request that the board partially waive labor notification requirements.

G&W will take a phased approach to beginning operations on...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/central-oregon-pacific-takes-over-up-operations-in-eugene-oregon-saturday

Union Pacific Railroad CEO ‘muy cómodo’ trabajando a través de tarifas

DENVER – El director ejecutivo de Union Pacific dice que su compañía trabajará a través de los choques arancelarios que agarran la economía de la misma manera que trabajó a través de la pandemia. «No puedo controlar lo que hacen los gobiernos», dijo el presidente ejecutivo de la Unión Pacífico, Jim...

https://fullavantenews.com/union-pacific-railroad-ceo-muy-comodo-trabajando-a-traves-de-tarifas/?lang=es

Union Pacific Railroad CEO ‘very comfortable’ working through tariffs

DENVER — The chief executive of Union Pacific says his company will work through tariff shocks gripping the economy the same way it worked through the pandemic.

“I can’t control what governments do,” Union Pacific Chief Executive Jim Vena told a rail industry conference. “It’s noisy, it’s a son of a gun. But we can get through this the same way we got through the tech bubble and COVID.

“I’m very comfortable going through all this.”

Vena was the keynote speaker Monday at the annual conference of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/union-pacific-railroad-ceo-very-comfortable-working-through-tariffs

ASLRRA honors Lane, Crosson for rail safety

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has selected Matthew Lane, general manager, Pioneer Valley Railroad (PVRR), as the 2025 Safety Person of the Year, and Herman Crosson, chief safety and compliance officer, Anacostia Rail Holdings Co., as the 2025 Safety Professional of the Year. 

The awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated consistent and committed leadership in safety on their railroad,

“Operating safely, being your brother’s keeper, is a cornerstone of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/aslrra-honors-lane-crosson-for-rail-safety

Railroads’ dilemma: The good jobs no one knows about

WASHINGTON, D.C. — American railroads are facing an employment crisis in a time of epochal change, urgently looking to attract young jobseekers to replace an aging workforce while competing with other supply chain businesses for scarce talent.

It’s a quandary that was explored Monday during a panel discussion at the Transportation Research Board’s 104th annual meeting. The five-day multimodal conference which hosts hundreds of researchers, academics, and representatives from the public and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/railroads-dilemma-the-good-jobs-no-one-knows-about

At Rail Trends: Grants, real estate key to short line rail growth

Short lines are on the headpin as the North American rail business embraces a welcome rebound.

“It’s been a tumultuous eight years but the railroad industry is turning a corner as a whole, and that’s where [short lines] are going,” said Chuck Baker, president and chief executive of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, speaking at the Rail Trends conference in New York.

“This year I have visited with all six Class 1s and they all have engaged short line teams. They all say...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/at-rail-trends-money-real-estate-key-to-short-line-rail-growth

ASLRRA head calls federal grant program ‘godsend’ to short lines

By Chase Gunnoe

WASHINGTON — Thousands of miles of railroad right-of-way have been upgraded, new rail has been built, and emerging technologies have been explored since the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program began injecting federal dollars into the rail industry seven years ago.

CRISI has awarded more than $5.2 billion to the industry since fiscal 2017. Among the largest benefactors are first- and final-mile shortline...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/aslrra-head-calls-federal-grant-program-godsend-to-short-lines

Railroads fear losing out to trucks if California gets its way

WASHINGTON — Major freight railroads and their short-line counterparts raised red flags on Capitol Hill about supply chain consequences of a California regulation aimed at cutting air pollution from locomotives.

If the California Air Resources Board is successful in securing approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California’s In-Use Locomotive Regulation, adopted by the state last year, would require all locomotives manufactured after 2035 that travel though the state of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/railroads-fear-losing-out-to-trucks-if-california-gets-its-way

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